Nameless
by Scotia Daniel
Summary: Visiting his grandmother's house, Reed discovered the secrets behind the old farmhouse outside of New York City and the heritage he never knew about that was waiting to be uncovered right under his nose beneath the streets of New York City.


Lush trees flew by as the old family van drove up a bumpy dirt road on the outskirts of New York City. Reed Daniel watched the green blur by, resting his cheek on his hand and his elbow against the window.

He didn't understand why he had to come along with his mother to this old house. Sure his grandmother's death was important to him, but he didn't really know the woman personally. He used to when he was younger, but after getting sucked into school and other activities, he didn't have much time to visit. And frankly, he didn't have much interest. What did an old lady have for him to be entertained by?

The old farmhouse came into view and his mother parked the car under the shade of a tree. She looked over at him. Her curly red hair had been tied neatly into a loose bun and her red brown eyes smiled down on him.

He turned from her, opened the door and stepped out, letting the door shut with a loud 'thud!' Reed had forgotten how nice it was up in the country side. He was always cooped up inside working on his academics. Science ran in his family, and he had a few huge shadows to step out of to be recognized as his own person.

A slender hand was placed on his shoulder and Reed turned to look at his mother. Crow's feet surrounded both of her eyes and he could see some wrinkles on her face. When did she begin to age like that? Why hadn't he noticed?

"I know she didn't mean much to you...but she did love you. This won't take long. We just need to pack some stuff up to take back home. I'm still deciding whether or not we're going to sell the property."

She dropped her hand from his shoulder and headed up the pathway to the house. Reed felt himself sigh. It was going to be a long day. He missed his mini shop back home where he had been happily working on a motor for the past week. Reed lifted a heavy foot and followed his mother up the pathway and into the house.

The teenager looked around and was almost overwhelmed by the home. It was over a hundred years old and looked like it had come right out of a picture from the early 2020's. Or even earlier than that. The furniture was simple and the walls were decorated with pictures. But upon looking closer at the wall, he could tell that some photos were missing from the dust outlines of missing frames.

Some boxes had been set up already and inside were lamps, utensils, and other old nick knacks that had been passed down in the family. The house used to belong to a great aunt of his grandmother's. It used to be an old farm house before it was redone to be a more modernish home. It still had a 1950's vibe, which made Reed feel out of place.

Reed glanced over at his mom who had started clearing out the kitchen. He took an empty box and decided to pack what he could upstairs. The steps creaked under his weight and he hated it. He felt like he was going to wake up some old spirit or something in the midst of this.

Coming to the second floor, Reed wished he had helped his mother out instead. The upstairs was dead silent. It felt so...empty. So lifeless. He walked into the first room and set the box down. It was a child's room.

Reed recognized it as the room he slept in as a kid whenever he visited. At one point, it had been his mother's room when she was a child. And from the stories he remembered, it was also his grandmother's room growing up. Everything looked as though it hadn't been used in years. Dust coated some of the child sized furniture.

Reed really didn't want to touch anything in the room. It gave off this era that just made him sad. It was like he opened a gateway into the past and that if he moved anything or took something out of there, it would haunt him for the rest of his life. Like a child would come in there at some point and cry over a missing toy.

He turned to leave but a glisten of rainbow caught his eye. Reed turned and locked eyes with a small stuffed turtle. He walked over to it and reached out for the toy. It was old. Very old. The stitches were drying out and an eye was missing. But in the right light, the shell shone with purple, blue, orange and red.

Reed's grandmother had said it belonged to her mother. That her husband had given it to her when they were teenagers. Then her mother gave it to Reed's grandmother and she kept it for her daughter and Reed.

The teenager set the stuffed animal back down, feeling a lump in his throat. He used to love playing with it when he was younger, but because the stitches began to fall apart, his grandmother had refused to let him or anyone else touch it. And now that he was older, he could understand why. It was something precious.

Reed picked up the box and left the room behind and glanced into the others. The rest were either guest rooms, his grandmother's room and an office. He stopped by his grandmother's room and took some books from a shelf.

He walked over to her nightstand and began to clear that out. He found a notepad, her glasses case, some knitting sticks and thread...

Reed closed the drawer and glanced up at the nightstand. A picture stood by the lamp in a gold frame. He took the photo in his hand and lifted it closer to his face. It was of his grandmother when she was younger. She was sitting, holding his infant mother in her arms. To the left of her was his grandfather.

The three of them looked very happy. Nothing out of the usual. However, the longer he looked at it, the more he realized the differences between his grandmother and mom compared to his grandfather.

His grandmother only had four fingers on each hand. And if he looked closely, he noticed her skin had a green tint compared to the flesh of her husband. Reed's eyes wandered down to his mother and noticed how she had nine fingers. On one hand, a digit was missing and her skin also had a green tint to it. Not as noticeable as his grandmother's, but it was still there. His mother had inherited her mother's red locks, but instead of inheriting his grandmothers red-brown blue eyes or her father's green ones, they came out reddish brown. In the sunlight, they looked more red than brown. He touched the are around his own eyes, knowing that his eyes were just like his great grandmother's.

Reed placed the picture neatly into the box with a shaky hand. How come he never noticed this as a kid? He supposed it was because he was used to it. And the fact that kids just took everything around them in with ease. If there was a question to be asked, there was a simple answer and that was that.

He left the bedroom behind and entered the study room. It was the brightest room in the whole house. The windows were big and let enough natural light in his grandmother rarely had to turn the lights on.

This was where she worked on her stories. His grandmother had dedicated time to writing articles for science and books in her free time. She had penned some stories with his great grandmother and even great grandfather when they were still alive.

Reed never read anything she wrote. He probably could now if he wanted to. Papers were still stacked all over the desk. It felt as though his grandmother had never died. Like she'd be back any second to continue working on her projects.

Reed explored the room and looked over the scattered papers. Some had notes for some science experiment she had had in mind, some others were to do lists when it came to chores around the house and the like.

The teenager opened some drawers and fished through them. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just some nick nacks, newspaper clippings...

Reed closed the drawers and quickly glanced over the room. He got what he could. He'll have his mother do the rest, since he wouldn't know what she'd want to keep from the notes and papers at all.

The teenager took the box of stuff and left. He hurried down the stairs and entered the living room. His mother had barely touched the kitchen. She had two boxes filled and was still going. Reed sighed and placed the box down, took an empty one and walked around the house.

Reed came to a door and opened it. Stairs led down into the darkness of the house's basement. The teenager sighed, looked over his shoulder at his mom and descended the stairs.

The boy ran his fingers along the wall, hoping to find some sort of light. His hand touched the outline of a switch. He flicked it and a single light came on and his eyes struggled to adjust to the lighting.

Reed gasped and nearly dropped the box. It was a lab. The whole basement had been converted into a science space. Chemistry tables and tubes had been set up in one corner, a mechanic's shop in another, and an area with a sink and protective wear had been set up.

Dust covered everything, but Reed still admired the sight of it all. This must have been his great grandfather's workspace. Everything was neatly organized and pictures of his grandmother and great grandmother were scattered everywhere. Of a young woman with bright red hair and blue eyes holding his grandmother on her lap like a happy family but minus the father, who he guessed had been taking the picture. Reed didn't know what his grandfather looked like, but he could imagine a man hunched over working on God knows what and taking the time to look up and admire his family.

Reed ran his fingers over the dust filled lab equipment, admiring how, even in its old age, everything was in great condition. There were file cabinets with his great grandfather's work and he knew that if he dove into it, he'd be amazed at what he found.

His great grandfather had been a great man. He dedicated his life to his family and to science. He even won some prestigious awards that sat proudly on a shelf above the pictures of his family. It made Reed feel proud and long to be the man his great grandfather had been.

Reed walked up to the giant bookcase against the wall. He looked over the marvelous collection of scientists, artists, and well known authors. A bland leather book caught his eye and he tugged at it until it pried loose.

The book was semi thick and bounded in beautiful brown leather with a single word etched into the cover: Journal. Reed traced the wrinkles in it before opening to the first page:

"_May 2nd, 2017;_

_ First few months living in the Farm House. April and Maggie are adjusting just fine to it. I miss the lair, but this will have to do. This gives Maggie more of a normal life style and an opportunity for us to wander around without being seen. That way she won't have to wonder why she can't go outside with daddy if we stayed in the city. I've finally finished setting up the lab. April is busy trying to put Maggie's nursery together upstairs. I know that when it's done, it'll look gorgeous. Just like her..."_

Reed smiled. His grandfather had been a romantic. He never knew that. But it explains where his grandmother got it from. He turned to the next page:

_"December 24th, 2017;_

_ It's Maggie's first year celebrating Christmas outside of the lair. Sensei and the others are coming up to celebrate the season with us. I'm so glad April introduced this holiday to us. I ordered a Santa suit and will be wearing it later tonight once the family gets here. It'll also be a first for Splinter to really come out from below the streets for the first time in...how many years? This will go down in history for our family, that's for sure!"_

Reed frowned. What was he talking about? Sensei? Was that what he called his dad? That's weird. And what did he meant by 'below the streets for the first time?' This made Reed realize how little he knew about his family. That his childish ignorance kept himself from learning about his ancestry. Maybe if he had paid attention to his grandmother and mother more...he turned to the next page:

"_April 17th, 2018;_

_ Maggie's talking! She's finally saying her first few words! I'm so psyched! I've documented her words and cant' wait till she calls me 'daddy' for the first time. She's struggling with 'momma' but I know when the day comes I'm going to cry from happiness._

_ August 30th, 2018;_

_ It's too risky having the lab upstairs. After some horrid moments of nearly causing a fire and having Maggie almost drink some of daddy's acids, I've decided to move the lab downstairs. I like it down here more, to be honest. Reminds me of the lair...nice and dark. Brings back good memories. Also gives me a chance to start working on the tunnel more. That way Leo, Raph, Mikey and Splinter can visit whenever they want without taking the Shellraiser up here or feel uneasy about being seen. This will take a while...but it'll be worth it._

Reed furrowed his brow. Lair? Shellraiser? Tunnel? Was his great grandfather insane? What was he talking about? And how come his great grandmother nor his mother mentioned any of this to him?

The teenager leaned against the book shelf and felt the weight of it give out from underneath him. Reed went crashing to the ground and waited for the pain of the bookshelf to fall on him, but it never did.

Reed opened his eyes to discover that the bookshelf had opened up and he was laying between the lab and a tunnel, just like his great grandfather had described in his journal.

The boy shakily stood up and peered into the darkness. He took a step and lights flickered on. Reed felt himself jump and relax. Motion sensors. His great grandfather had been brilliant.

Reed looked back at the lab. He knew his mother would finish soon, but he couldn't will himself to go back upstairs and leave this behind. Tucking the journal under his arm, the teenager descended into the tunnel.

Lights flickered on the more he walked. He underestimated the length, but he didn't care. The path seemed to dip down deeper into the ground. Where was this leading to? His heart thumped in his chest, wondering if maybe he should have brought a flashlight. A weapon?

Reed glanced at his wristwatch. He was half an hour into the tunnel. No going back now. But he didn't have to fret about how long the walk would take anymore. The tunnel ended and he was met with a wall of darkness.

To his right there was a lever. He had three options: one, he could go back and pretend that never happened. Two, he could step into the darkness and see what happened. Or three, he could pull the lever and see where that took him.

After thinking over his options, the teen took the lever in his hands and pulled it. 'BZZT!' Bright lights flickered on and Reed had to adjust to the sudden brightness. When he was able to see, he gasped.

It was an abandoned subway station. Well, somewhat. The place had been remodeled into a home of some sort. There was a couch and an old flat screen T.V and gaming system and everything. Dust covered everywhere and Reed wanted to fall to his knees.

This was glorious. Everything about it...pure genius. He walked deeper into it and looked around. Who had lived here? How did no one know about this? The more he explored the place, the more he realized it was the 'lair' his great grandfather had been talking about.

He stepped foot into a dojo and was overcome by the beautiful Japanese tapestry. A box had been made to be a room and Reed allowed himself in. The room had a futon in the middle and off to the side some personal belongings. Whoever had lived there must have been a very spiritual person.

Reed glanced over the few belongings in the room and discovered a picture. He looked closely at it and wondered why there were five people in costumes and a girl. But upon further investigation, he realized that they weren't people in suits. They were mutants of some sort. Four looked like turtles and the other a giant rat. Beside the mutant in purple stood a short red head girl that grinned her heart out.

The teenager recognized her as his great grandmother, April. His grandmother looked so much like her. And so did his mom. And even him. They all had her red locks and pale skin. But where was her husband?

He glanced from mutant to mutant and eyes fell on the one in purple. No...could it? He leaned in closer and took in the reddish brown of the man's eyes. It had to be him. They were the same as his mother's. The same colour that ran through his and his grandmother's eyes.

The mutant and his brothers all had three fingers on each hand. Now Reed understood why his grandmother had only eight fingers. Why his mother only had nine. And why he only had eight toes. And why they all had green in their skin. It all made sense.

Reed sat there for so long, he lost track of time. The news overwhelmed him, but didn't make him sad or angry. Instead, he felt as though he had woken up from a dream. From this ignorance he had grown up with.

His discovery wasn't random. It was meant to be. This was his family. His heritage. He didn't care if they were mutants living underneath the streets of New York City. He didn't care if he was part turtle deep down.

Reed cursed at himself for being so arrogant over the years. For ignoring what his grandmother told him about her life and angry for shutting his mother out when she could have shared this all with him.

The teenager sat up and left the dojo behind. He glanced through the rooms and noticed for the first time the pictures on the walls. Pictures that they wouldn't dare hang up back at the house in case some outsider found them. It was of his great grandfather, mother, and grandmother. Of them as a happy family. They were framed and taped everywhere. Of grandma as a baby, of her as a teenager, of her getting her degrees and getting married and having his mother...

There were pictures of the mutant in blue with an Asian woman. Pictures of their wedding day, of their child, of that child growing up...there was so much he didn't know. So much he missed. All the details and hints and history that sat right there in front of him the whole time and he never questioned it. Some scientist he was.

Reed left the lair behind but he knew it wasn't going to be the last. He had business there. He had to clean it up and make it his own. He had to have his mom keep that house. It was history. Their history. Not anyone else's.

He turned off the lights and returned home. Stepping back into the lab, he closed the book shelf and took in the loneliness of the house. It was funny how he had come there thinking it was some nameless place. That these rooms were empty. That it had no history. No heritage. Nothing for him to gain. Just a nameless place with a nameless history in a nameless location just waiting to be torn down. Oh, how wrong he was.

This was his home. His property. His thing to protect. And he knew he'd do everything to protect the things his great grandfather and mother had worked so hard to create. It started with them and he'll pick up their work and continue from there so that his children and their children can know their history and understand the beauty of their heritage and linage that he had found along with himself in a once nameless place.


End file.
